Let other AFL teams dream and hope - when it comes to the finals, Sydney expect.
The Swans could return to the top eight if they beat resurgent Melbourne in a Friday night beauty at the MCG.
Assistant coach Stuart Dew said partly out of necessity and partly on the back of sustained success, Sydney have great faith in what they can achieve this season.
After losing their first six games, the Swans are back on track with a 6-1 run.
"We're probably a little bit different to some of the teams around us, in that we expect to play finals," Dew told AAP
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"Obviously we have a massive task in front of us, given our start.
"But certainly the belief is there, that we'll get to September."
The Swans, remember, have not missed the eight since 2009, for a flag and two other grand finals.
The obvious concern is that the Swans have been very boom or bust so far this season.
Given this year's many twists and turns, they will probably string some losses together again.
Not necessarily so, says Dew.
"Sydney has probably been one club that's been able to avoid that dip," he said.
"A little bit of that is the environment we're in - we can't afford to drop down the ladder."
The MCG is becoming a barometer for Sydney's season, with the round-six shemozzle against Carlton their low point.
It was their sixth-straight loss and their worst performance of the season to date.
"When we lost two in a row, you thought 'gee, we won't lose three' and then we lost again," Dew said.
"I think it got to the point of that Carlton game was a real jolt to the system.
"It was public feedback, internal feedback and it came with both barrels.
"That's when their pride really kicked in."
Then came the nine-point win over Richmond at the MCG two weekends ago, when Sydney did what they couldn't do against Carlton and rallied well from a sluggish start.
Now they are back for Melbourne, who are two games above the 10th-placed Swans on the ladder.
Sydney have never lost to Melbourne under coach John Longmire, but Dew said that five-game streak means nothing.
While Demons co-captain Nathan Jones remains injured, their midfield looks stronger with the return of star ruckman Max Gawn
"They are a different side to what we played last year," he said.
"They're up and going, they're all excited, it's Friday night footy and it's going to be a great game."
